• What are the current TRIGGERS for public sector innovation  – and what perhaps should be?
• Where are TYPES of public sector innovation happening – and where should they?
• How do we VALUE public sector innovation – and how should we?

While a preliminary analysis of this exercise shows some useful trends within individual cities as well as across the country, we see value in extending this social knowledge process into a deeper understanding of the dynamic ecosystem that exists within this landscape.

So, we’re kicking off a national, open initiative to comprehensively map the public sector innovation ecosystem. The initiative will be supported by a national advisory team including the Australian Innovation Research Centre and the Behavioural Insights Group, and offers an opportunity for public sector practitioners to take part in an ‘action research’ program with practical, tangible value to their day-to-day work.

Interested in being part of the team? Let us know soon – we’ll be starting to scope the program in the countdown to the national GovCamp LiVE event at the end of November.

Photo by Paul Clarke

The whole concept of unconferences and participant-led events is just so mind-bogglingly amazing that it’s hard to put into words – just to see people coming together and start talking to each other who possibly wouldn’t have before… that’s why I do it, and that’s what touched me most about the day.

About Ann Kempster

Ann Kempster is Digital Communications Manager for the Government Communication Network based in the Cabinet Office. She has worked in the UK Civil Service for the past 7 years. She is also co-organiser of CommsCamp13, an unconference for professional communicators in government, with Dan Slee and Darren Caveney of Walsall Council and Comms2point0.

Ann blogs (not enough as she’d like) at www.annkempster.com.  You can also find her on Twitter at @annkempster

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Episode links and resources

• CommsCamp website
• UK Government Communication Network
• Comms2point0
• Blog post by Kate Bentham on her CommsCamp experience

60-second snapshots

On the role of digital in the comms mix:

On the power of unconferences:

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Max Hardy talks about the differences between consultation and collaboration, and how “inviting people into your dilemma” can lead to more enduring solutions, and how complexity theory can help shift your perspective.

You come into this domain of complexity, which is where you only know what’s going to work after you’ve actually done it – you can’t predict it in advance.

About Max Hardy

Since joining Twyfords in 1997 Max helped establish the International Association for Public Participation Australasia. With a particular interest in Deliberative Democracy and Appreciative Inquiry, he has developed innovative models for community engagement covering a range of projects, including those with a social planning emphasis as well as infrastructure/natural resources management projects.

In 2005 Max played a major role in the preparation of the “Brisbane Declaration on Engaging Communities” which was presented to the United Nations.

In 2007 at a ceremony in Arizona, USA Max along with the ACT Disability Advisory Council was awarded the IAP2 (International) Award for “Project of the Year” for the design and implementation of the Challenge 2014 Project.

In 2009 Max co-facilitated Australia’s first Citizens’ Parliament at Old Parliament House, Canberra and in 2010 he co-designed and co-facilitated the Premier’s Growth Management Summit in Brisbane.

More recently Max has been involved in building capacity for partnership approaches in the challenging area of Primary Health Care in Queensland.

Max is also the co-author of the new book from Twyfords: The Power of Co – the Smart Leaders’ Guide to
Collaborative Governance.

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Episode links and resources

• Twyfords Consulting
• National Coalition for Dialogue & Deliberation (NCDD) – USA
• Dave Snowden on the complexity sensemaking model
• Conflict and Dispute Resolution at the University of Oregon
• Participatory governance initiative in Arizona
• Newdemocracy
• Appreciative enquiry
• IAP2

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• Twitter hashtags: #opengov #collab

• Zachary Tumin, Harvard Kennedy School of Government
• Deirdre O’Donnell, Information Commissioner, Office of the Information Commissioner NSW
• Martin Stewart-Weeks, Director, Public Sector Consulting APAC, Cisco

The broad-ranging conversation tackles questions such as:

• How can a culture of Gov 2.0 impact the relationship of citizens to government? And within government?
• What are the connections between e-government, social media and open government
• What are the risks, rewards, and potential of open and connected government?

The discussion also features excerpts from Gov20 Radio  interviews with Chris Vein, David Ferreiro, Nigel Shadbolt, David Eaves and Barbara Ubaldi.

For more information on the, including a curated social stream, visit the Gov20 Radio CeBIT Gov 2.0 page.

Panel images courtesy CeBIT Australia

About the panel

Zachary Tumin

Zachary Tumin is Special Assistant to Director and Faculty Chair, Science, Technology and Public Policy Program, Belfer Center for Science and International Affairs, at Harvard University’s John F. Kennedy School of Government.

Over his career, Zach has served at the Kennedy School in research and staff positions, and in the public, private, and not-for-profit sectors as chief executive, staff, and consultant to leaders in industry and government.

Deirdre O’Donnell

Deirdre O’Donnell is the inaugural New South Wales Information Commissioner.

Prior to taking up this role, for almost three years Ms O’Donnell held the position of Telecommunications Industry Ombudsman where she led the TIO scheme through unprecedented growth.

From 2002 to 2007, she was the Western Australian Ombudsman, a position with wide investigative powers, including those of a Royal Commission. Western Australia was the first State to establish an ombudsman’s office in 1972, and Ms O’Donnell was the first woman to be appointed to the position.

Ms O’Donnell was also a State Records Commissioner, a member of the Western Australian Integrity Coordinating Group, and the Energy Ombudsman Western Australia.

In recognition of her work in Western Australia, Ms O’Donnell received a public service medal in the Australia Day Honours for 2008.

Martin Stewart-Weeks

Martin Stewart-Weeks is a director in the global public sector practice of  the Cisco Internet Business Solutions Group (IBSG)., He has more than  20 years of experience in organizational management and consulting in  the corporate and public sectors, and with a wide range of not-for-profit  organizations. In his work with the Cisco Internet Business Solutions Group (IBSG), Martin’s focus is primarily on the public sector. He works at the senior-executive and political levels to help shape Internet business solutions and online strategies.

A consistent theme of Martin’s professional experience has been public policy and management.  He has held senior policy, management, and advisory positions for ministers and government agencies at the federal and state government level in Australia. In the early 1980s, he held the position of Senior Private Secretary to a Federal Minister, and in the early ‘90s he was a consultant in the Office of Strategic Planning in  The Cabinet Office in New South Wales.

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Episode links and resources

• Where Government 2.0 meets Society 2.0 – Zach Tumin
• Countdown to OGP and NASA’s global Space Apps Challenge – Chris Vein
• Social media, record-keeping and open government – David Ferriero
• Launching the Open Data Institute: bottom-up, middle-out, top-down – Nigel Shadbolt
• OECD e-Leaders 2012: From e-Gov to OpenGov – David Eaves
• The ongoing eGovernment evolution – Barbara Ubaldi

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